\Elderly abuse exists in our society but is hardly ever reported. This problem often remains undetected because of poor public awareness and lack of knowledge among health care personnel. This article addresses the definition of elderly abuse, characteristics of the abused elderly and their abusers as well as strategies to detect and manage it. Collaboration between health care professionals and government bodies is needed to identify and manage elderly abuse. Ultimately, a legislative "Elder Protective Act" should be implemented to safeguard the rights of our vulnerable elderly.
The provision of optimum care for the ageing population is dependent on the understanding of their views and values on end of life issues. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to describe views of elderly Malaysians on Advanced Care Planning (henceforth ACP) and Advanced Directives (henceforth AD), and explore factors influencing these views. Fifteen elderly subjects with ages ranging from 65 to 83 years, representing different ethnic and religious groups in Malaysia were selected for in-depth interviews guided by a questionnaire. Five core themes were extracted from the interviews: 1) Considering the future 2) Contingency plans for future illnesses 3) Attitudes towards life prolonging treatment procedures 4) Doctor-patient relationships and 5) Influence of religion on decisions related to future illness. Despite the lack of knowledge on ACP and AD, older respondents were very receptive to their concept. Although the majority agreed on the importance of planning for future medical management and having open discussion on end of life issues with their doctor, they felt it unnecessary to make a formal written AD. Most felt that the future was best left to fate or God, and none had made any contingency plan for severe future illnesses citing religion as reason for this view. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation and dialysis were considered by most to be invasive life prolonging treatments. We suggest that doctors initiate discussions on end of life care with every older patient and their family so as to promote awareness and introduce the concept of ACP/AD to a Malaysian setting.
To determine the magnitude of postural blood pressure change, differences in ECG between fallers and non-fallers were measured. Postural blood pressure change is associated with symptoms of dizziness, presyncope, and syncope.